Hammock stringing methods and assemblies

ABSTRACT

A HAMMOCK STRINGING ASSEMBLY WHEREIN THE STRING LOOPS FORMED ACROSS THE END OF THE HAMMOCK BED ARE GATHERED TOGETHER IN SPACED, UPWARDLY-CONVERGING SETS AND THE CENTER PORTION OF AN ELONGATED CORD IS ARRANGED IN THE FORM OF A LOOP WHICH IS INSERTED THROUGH THE MIDDLE SET OF SAID STRINGS, THE FREE ENDS OF SAID CORD BEING PROJECTED THROUGH SAID CORD LOOPED PORTION AND DRAWN TAUT AND THE ELONGATED CORD STRANDS THEN BEING PROGRESSIVELY STRUNG IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN SAID SETS OF STRING LOOPS AND SUPPORTING RINGS CARRIED ON THE HAMMOCK STAND.

Sept. 21, 971 ,1. v. B R-mm: f 3,606,621

HAMMOCK smmemefumnons AND ASSEMBLIES FiledNov. 13, 1969 X 4m W i INVENTOR M 25' JOSEPH wasnrscnz ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,606,621 HAMMOCK STRINGING METHODS AND ASSEMBLIES Joseph V. Bertsche, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Algoma Net Company, Algoma, Wis. Filed Nov. 13, 1969, Ser. No. 876,477

Int. Cl. A45f 3/22 US. Cl. 5-122 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hammock stringing assembly wherein the string loops formed across the end of the hammock bed are gathered together in spaced, upwardly-converging sets and the center portion of an elongated cord is arranged in the form of a loop which is inserted through the middle set of said strings, the free ends of said cord being projected through said cord looped portion and drawn taut and the elongated cord strands then being progressively strung in opposite directions back and forth between said sets of string loops and supporting rings carried on the hammock stand.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present invention relates to the art of constructing hammocks, and more particularly to strlnglng assemblies for hammocks.

Description of the prior art In conventional hammocks of the type employing a multiplicity of cotton or synthetic string loops formed on and across the head and foot ends of the hammock bed, the common method of securing said bed to the stand or other support is to arrange said loops in adjacent groups or sets of five or six loops and to tie an individual cord to each of said sets and to a ring or the like carried by the supporting stand. Said conventional stringing method has not proven entirely satisfactory, however. One of the principal disadvantages of the conventional stringing method hereinabove described is that the manual tying of individual cords between each of the multiple sets of string loops and the supporting ring or rings carried by the stand is a time-consuming, tedious job that adds substantially to the labor cost in the manufacture of the hammock. 1

Another disadvantage of said conventional stringing method is that the supporting cords are frequently slightly uneven in length, especially after they are tied, with result that when a person lies on the hammock some of the string loops are taut and support a preponderance of the weight while others bear relatively little or none of the load. As a consequence there is uneven wear on the strings, with the result that such conventional stringing assemblies frequently break in a relatively short time and must be replaced. This is not only an inconvenience, as well as an expense, but the failure of said conventional stringing assemblies when a person lies on the hammock can be dangerous.

In order to overcome the above-described short-comings of conventional hammock stringing assemblies an invention is disclosed in patent application Ser. No. 7 61,937, filed Sept. 24, 1968 now US. Pat. No. 3,550,166 (which pending application is assigned to the assignee of the present application), wherein a single elongated supporting cord is strung back and forth between the spaced sets of string loops and the ring or rings carried by the hammock stand, thereby eliminating the laborious task of tying individual supporting cords to each of said string 3,606,621 Patented Sept. 21, 1971 sets. In addition, said single cord arrangement permits the string loops to shift position thereon in response to a load on the bed to provide self-centering means for ensuring said load is borne uniformly by all of the loops, thereby minimizing the possibility of said string loops breaking when a person lies on the hammock.

The invention disclosed and claimed in said pending application Ser. No. 761,937, now US. Pat. No. 3,550,- 166, has proven exceedingly successful, and is an important advancement in the hammock manufacturing art. In essence the present invention is intended merely as an improvement in the stringing assembly disclosed in said co-pending patent application, which improvement permits a hammock to be assembled even faster and with a shorter length of supporting cord than is possible with said prior stringing method, thereby further reducing manufacturing costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a new and improved hammock stringing method and assembly generally similar to that disclosed in pending patent application Ser. No. 761,937, now US. Pat. No. 3,550,166, wherein a single elongated supporting cord is strung back and forth through spaced groups or sets of string loops formed on the end of a hammock bed and through a ring or rings carried by the hammock stand or other support. Unlike the stringing assembly disclosed in said prior application, however, wherein the supporting cord is started at one side of the hammock and strunk continuously laterally thereacross, and then back again to the starting point, in accordance with the present invention the supporting cord is first inserted through and secured to the center string set, and the two diverging strands of said cord are then strung in opposite directions through the string sets on either side of said center set. The result is that only a single cord strand is threaded through each of said string sets, in contrast to the assembly disclosed in said prior patent application wherein dual strands are projected through most of said string loop sets, thereby not only permitting the use of a shorter supporting cord, but increasing the speed and efiiciency of the stringing operation and effecting a reduction in manufacturing costs.

smaller diameter cord which is easier to tie oil? and not as I apt to become entangled.

A further object is to provide a new stringing assembly wherein only a single supporting cord is utilized and wherein the stringing operation is started at the center, as described, thereby providing only two free cord ends, one at each side of the hammock, to minimize the number of knots that must be formed.

A further object is to provide a stringing assembly wherein there is only one cord free end on each side of the hammock, as described, and wherein said cord ends can be readilytied off in grooves provided therefor in the hammock header bar, thereby providing a neat and inconspicuous arrangement and also preventing the bed from shifting on the bar and bunching at the center thereof, as frequently occurs with conventional hammock-supporting assemblies.

Still further objects of the present invention are to provide a new, improved hammock stringing assembly which is simple, which is reliable in use, which is neat and attractive in appearance, and which is othenwise particularly well adapted for its intended purposes.

3 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS' In the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the head end of a hammock featuring the improved stringing assembly;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevational view of the supporting cord and center string loop set illustrating the first step in the stringing method comprising the invention;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view showing the supporting cord noose illustrated in FIG. 2 pulled taut to securely engage said center loop set;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the head end of a hammock bed showing the complete stringing assembly comprising the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view illustrating one of the cord-receiving ring elements carried by the frame, and showing one of the plastic collars that may be utilized to help prevent the converging cord strands from tangling.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT string or twine, as in conventional hammocks, or they may be formed of nylon or similar synthetic material for greater strength and durability. The number of said string loops formed across the bed, as well as the spacing therebetween, can be varied depending upon the width and style of the hammock. The invention is not to be limited in this respect.

In the hammock illustrated in FIG. 1 the bed is suspended between the ends of a unitary tubular metal frame 13, but it is to be understood that said bed could be suspended between two trees or any other suitable spaced supports. Carried by said frame 13, or other support, are a pair of spaced steel rings 14 and 15, and extending between said rings and the string loops 12 is the novel one-piece supporting cord 16 featured in the present invention. As mentioned, said cord is preferably formed of a combination of nylon and polypropylene, which material provides greatly increased tensile strength in comparison to the cords used in conventional hammock stringing assemblies. It is to be understood, however, that the particular material from which the cord is formed is not a critical feature of the present invention.

As best appears in FIGS. 1 and 4, the string loops 12 are gathered together in spaced, upwardly-converging groups or sets, there ordinarily being five or six of said individual loops to each set. In the drawing the spaced loop sets are numbered, starting from the left, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26. The number of loop sets formed is not critical, but it is essential that there be an odd number of sets so that a center or middle set will be provided, the purpose of which will become apparent hereinafter.

In accordance with the novel stringing method comprising the present invention, referring now more particularly to FIG. 2 of the drawing, the elongated supporting cord 16 is first doubled over intermediate its lengthto form a loop 16, and said cord loop is inserted through the string loops forming the center string set 23. The free ends or strands 17, 18 (which are of approximately equal length) of said cord 16 are then inserted through said cord looped portion 16 to form a noose, and, as is shown in FIG. 3, said strands are then pulled to tighten the noose 19 and securely retain said string loops therein.

Referring now to FIG. 4, either of the individual cord strands, as, for example, the strand 17, may be manually directed upwardly through the ring 14 thereabovecarried by the hammock stand. After being passed through said ring 14 the cord strand 17 is then directed downwardly and inserted through the adjacent loop set 22, is passed upwardly through the ring 14 again and downwardly through the next loop set 21, upwardly once again through the ring, and downwardly to the outermost iloop set 20. In the preferred form of the invention said strand is tied around said loop set 20 with a portion 17' of said strand extending therebeyond. Said cord end extension 17 is then tied around and within an annular groove 31 provided therefor in the header bar 30 carried in the hem of the fabric or canvas hammock bed, said cord portion 17' being threaded through the hammock fabric as shown to secure said bed in position on the bar and prevent the same from bunching up toward the center of said header bar, as frequently occurs with conventional hammock assemblies. The latter innovation is described in greater detail in the aforementioned pending patent application Ser. No. 761,937, now US. Pat. No. 3,550,166.

The opposite cord strand 18 is then similarly strung back and forth between the other supporting ring 15 and the loop sets 24-26, the extreme end portion 18' of said cord being tied off in the groove provided therefor in the header bar in the manner described.

The result is that with the novel stringing assembly comprising the present invention a single supporting cord is required, in contrast to the multiplicity of individual supporting cords utilized in conventional stringing assemblies, thereby eliminating the time-consuming task of manually tying a number of cords to the string loops. Thus there is provided a substantial reduction of labor cost in the manufacture of the hammock. In addition, with the present invention the majority of said string loop sets are freely slidably engaged on the cord and are self-centering to ensure a load on the hammock is borne uniformly by all of said loops, thereby enhancing the stability of the bed as well as increasing the life of the stringing assembly and minimizing the danger of said string loops breaking when subjected to a load.

In contrast to the single cord stringing assembly disclosed in said co-pending patent application Ser. No. 761,937, now US. Pat. No. 3,550,166, wherein the supporting cord is started at one side of the hammock and strung continuously laterally thereacross, and then back again to the starting point, in the present invention the stringing is started at the center with the two cord strands strung in opposite directions to the sides of the hammock. The result is that with the present invention only a single cord strand is inserted through each of the loop sets, in contrast to the dual strands employed in said prior assembly, thereby permitting the use of a shorter length cord as well as increasing the speed and efficiency of the stringing operation and further reducing manufacturing costs. While double cord strands were intentionally provided in said prior assembly for maximum strength and dependability, with the new combination nylon-polypropylene supporting cord featured in the present invention it has been found that a single cord strand is not only sufficient, but actually provides greater strength and reliability.

Although the present invention has been illustrated and described herein for use exclusively at the head end of a hammock bed, with dual supporting rings 14, 15, it is to be understood that the improved stringing assembly could as well be used at the foot end of a hammock, and with a single supporting ring carried by the stand or other support. The invention is by no means to be limited or confined in this regard.

To enhance the appearance of the assembly, as well as to prevent the cord from twisting or tangling, ornamental plastic or tape collars 27 (FIG. 5) can be secured around the converging cord strands immediately be neath the rings 14, 15, although this is neither a new nor essential feature of the invention.

With respect to the supporting rings 14, illustrated herein, incidentally, with the present invention said rings can be of either the open or closed style, thereby permitting the use of the bed with a variety of existing hammock units and providing an extremely versatile hammock bed. Moreover, it is to be understood that other cord-receiving elements could be used in lieu of said rings without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In short, what is intended to be covered herein is not only the illustrated form of the invention but also any and all variations or modifications thereof as may come within the spirit of said invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a hammock unit including cord-engaging means carried by a support and a hammock bed having an end adjacent said cord-engaging means, the improved stringing assembly, comprising: a plurality of string loops projecting from said bed end across substantially the entire width thereof, said individual string loops being arranged together in series of spaced sets each of which includes a plurality of upwardly-converging loops, and there beingan odd number of said loop sets to provide a center set in said series; a single elongated supporting cord having its intermediate portion secured to said center loop set, one elongated strand of said cord being progressively strung back and forth between the adjacent loop sets on one side of said center set and said cord-engaging means, and the other elongated cord strand being progressively strung back and forth between said cord-engaging means and the adjacent loop sets on the other side of said center set, the end portions of said cord strands being secured to the outermost loop sets on each side of the hammock.

2. The hammock stringing assembly recited in claim 1 wherein said supporting cord is formed of a relatively thin gauge combination of nylon and polypropylene.

3. The hammock stringing assembly recited in claim 1 wherein at least some of said string loop sets are slidable on said cord to permit the self-adjustment of said loop sets in response to a load on the hammock bed whereby said load will be borne substantially uniformly among said loop sets.

4. The hammock stringing assembly recited in claim 1 wherein said cords are secured to said outermost string loop sets in a manner whereby a cord end portion projects therebeyond, and wherein said cord projecting end portions are secured to said hammock bed.

5. The hammock stringing assembly recited in claim 1 wherein said cord-engaging means is in the form of a ring carried by said support.

6. The hammock stringing assembly recited in claim 1 wherein said cord-engaging means includes a pair of spaced rings carried by said support.

7. The hammock stringing assembly recited in claim 6 wherein one of said cord strands is strung back and forth between the loop sets on one side of said center set and one of said cord-engaging rings, and the other cord strand is strung back and forth between the loop sets on the opposite side of said center set and said other cord-engaging ring.

8. In a hammock unit including a pair of spaced cordengaging rings carried by a support and a hammock bed having an end adjacent said cord-engaging rings, said bed end having a header bar therein with annular grooves formed therein adjacent the ends of said bar, the improved stringing assembly, comprising: a plurality of string loops projecting from said bed end across substantially the entire width thereof, said individual string loops being arranged together in a series of spaced sets each of which includes a plurality of upwardly-converging loops, and there being an odd number of said loop sets to provide a center set in said series; a single elongated supporting cord doubled over intermediate its length to form a loop which is projected through said center loop set, the two elongated strands of said cord being projected through said cord loop to form a noose which is drawn taut to securely join the same to said center string loop set; one of said elongated cord strands being progressively strung back and forth between the cord-engaging ring thereabove and the loop sets on one side of said center set and the other cord strand being progressively strung back and forth between the other cord-engaging ring thereabove and the loop sets on the other side of said center set, the free ends of said cord strands being secured to the outermost string loop set on each side of the hammock with a cord end portion projecting therebeyond, the projecting end portions of said cords being tied around and within said header bar annular grooves and threaded through said hammock bed to prevent said bed from bunching toward the center of said bar.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 810,942 1/1906 Hohlfield 5---122 1,051,066 1/1913 Berg 5122 1,917,518 7/1933 Goudie 5120 3,315,281 4/1967 Morris 5120 JAMES C. MITCHELL, Primary Examiner 

